Youth Justice
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to complete cases on (a) youth offenders and (b) victims.
Answered by Sir Nicholas Dakin
This Government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis and recognises the impact the outstanding caseloads left behind by the previous administration is having. That is why we are working tirelessly to tackle this, including increasing sitting days to a record level, increasing magistrates sentencing powers and commissioning an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to consider the merits of once-in-a-generation reform.
Listing of cases is a judicial function, and where possible cases involving young defendants and those with vulnerable and intimidated witnesses are prioritised, and regularly reviewed, to ensure they are being listed as expeditiously as possible. The Government is also currently reviewing the Victims’ Commissioner’s report on the impact of the Crown Court backlog on victims, published in March 2025, and will respond shortly.
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